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Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Irma Hat

When I
spin, I rarely have a project in mind for the resulting yarn. Although I’ve
been a spindler since 2010, I still consider myself a beginner. I have the
techniques down pretty well, but am still getting a feel how I want to spin
different fibers. One fiber might result in a few very different skeins of yarn
as I experiment and play. Sometimes I mix fibers together in different ways,
and other times I make a small amount of consistently spun yarn.

In 2012, I took a Spinning Samples class with
Celia Quinn. Over three full days, we spun samples of 84 different types
of fiber. Each sample was spun in both worsted and woolen styles where
practical, then finished as both a single and a 2-ply yarn. Rather than continually
starting and stopping, it was suggested that we bring some brightly colored fiber
to separate the samples along the way.

The fiber that I used to separate my samples was
four ounces (113 grams) of 100% wool Kraemer Yarns Mauch Chunky Roving
in the colorway Kiwi; I didn’t come anywhere close to using all of the roving.
In 2013, I spun it into about 175 yards (160 m) of DK weight 2-ply yarn.

And that brings us to this past week. I was
poking around in Ravelry and happened upon the free Irma Hat pattern by Aneta Gasiorowska. I was drawn in by the way the raised zigzag pattern in the body of the hat comes together and interlocks at the top of the crown. The
yarn weight from my Kraemer handspun was just right, and I actually had a
little more than the amount called for in the pattern.

The pattern was easy to knit and worked up quickly.
Although the pattern is written for one size, there is a note on how to adjust
the sizing up or down. I don’t have a big head (ahem), but I do have a lot of
hair so I added one repeat of the pattern to make the hat a little bigger.

I’m looking forward to brightening up a dreary
winter day by wearing this hat. And I’m happy to have found just the right
project for one of my handspun yarns.